Dogs are notorious scene-stealers in the movies, but in the sappy yet mildly entertaining “Dog Days,” the humans mug just as shamelessly as their impossibly cute canine counterparts.

In the tradition of comic films like “Valentine’s Day,” “New Year’s Eve” and “Love Actually,” “Dog Days” intertwines multiple story lines — in this case, dogs are the catalysts that bring most everyone together. But “Dog Days” doesn’t entirely focus on romance; it touches on family, friendship and how we live vicariously through our four-legged best friends.

If you’re looking for complex character development and plausible plots, you are definitely barking up the wrong tree. Almost everyone in this decidedly non-dog-eat-dog world of Los Angeles is super-nice: The biggest misbehaviors come from a self-centered veterinarian who plays his music too loud in the car and doesn’t include his date in a photo.

Yet many of the cast members, even when they’re hamming it up, prove to be reasonably engaging, particularly Jon Bass, who plays shelter owner Garrett with appealing nerdish charm. Though it’s not without pathos, “Dog Days” doesn’t take itself too seriously, and almost every time things get too schmaltzy, a decent joke arrives. One of the best examples is when football player Jimmy (Tone Bell), devastated by the loss of his dog, gets an unexpected (and funny) cheering up from a vet assistant.

The briskly edited “Dog Days” also benefits from some amusing smaller performances, including Tig Notaro as a deadpan (and expensive) dog therapist; Phoebe Neidhardt as a TV weather forecaster who shares too much on the air; and Lauren Lapkus as a ditzy dog-sitter.

In the end, this family-friendly movie is pretty darn syrupy, but it knows its audience. Like a dog, it’s eager to please, and sometimes it does.